Super Sonic Squad Christmas 2015
by Coleiosis
Summary: This is Tails' first Christmas, and so he is very nervous. He tries TOO hard to be good, and ends up blaming himself for so much trouble. Can he pull himself together for this holiday season, or will he indeed be on the naughty list?


Coleiosis FanFiction Presents…

Super Sonic Squad Christmas 2015!

By Cole Bezotte

Introduction:

Finally! A Christmas spectacular you'll never forget, written by yours truly!

But be warned! This is not the first time I thought of this. I came up with this story back in December 2011, planning the story where Tails attempts to be good throughout the whole month of December, but fails. That's exactly the story plot you are about to read. I planned it back then, but did not write it until now (like with other stories).

Right now, my eyes are hurting because 1) I am tired, and 2) the onions' scent from my mother's special spaghetti sauce is rising all the way up to my room, where I'm currently writing this. So I will make this short and simple: you will see Tails ask for good Christmas advice from many characters throughout this story. Who knows if he'll look to some other people you are familiar with? That I might promise. Courtney is also a major character in this story, and she will have concerns for her furry little friend.

Like I always say at the end of every introduction, ENJOY! And merry Christmas to you all!

There is no proper title to this story

Tails always liked to listen to whatever played on his new transistor-powered radio. From blues to rock and roll, from classic to country, there was no end to the variety of music that he loved to hear. It was only his favorite songs that he wanted to learn to play; Sonic was giving him guitar lessons around that time, so it was just as good to start playing those songs by ear.

Tails' radio also served as his alarm clock, responsible for waking him up every morning except on weekends. But then, on December 7, he woke up to a different kind of music, one that he did not expect at all.

 **(Note: December 7, 2015, is the date that I started writing this story.)**

The song that played was a common song that played around this season. It was known as "Let it Snow", which was often said three times in the chorus of the song. Tails listened to this sound that was new to him as he looked out his window. The bright light that caught his eye was the white snow that covered the ground all around his house.

"I guess this song tells about how beautiful snow is," Tails thought as he got off his bed.

But the next song that played was another song for the holiday, in which it played "Holly Jolly Christmas". The lyrics that were sang out confused Tails; he could not decipher what they meant at all.

"What are those fancy words?" he thought as he went to his closet, fetching his coat and snow pants. "Sonic likes music, so I'm sure he'll know what it's all about… I hope…"

To avoid having to trudge through the thick, heavy snow that covered his walkway, he used his two tails to fly over to Sonic's house. And when he arrived, Sonic had just finished shoveling a path from his house to the village. It was difficult shoveling here on Bygone Island, having to avoid shoveling the sand, or else a pit was dug.

"Isn't this difficult for you?" Tails spoke up as he landed to the ground. "How you can tell the difference between snow and sand?"

"That's why I wear my glasses when doing this job," Sonic replied with a smile. "I have to know that the sand is the wet stuff underneath.

"You have an open door, and you hardly have any protection for your house."

"That's why Rotor and I are going to make some improvements to this house sometime today."

"By the way, Sonic, I heard some new songs on the radio, and they contain certain words in their lyrics. Are they bad words?"

"Tails, please don't tell me you've never heard of Christmas!"

"Eh… No…"

"Come on, man! It's the best holiday of the year! Every December, everybody celebrates what comes only once a year. Look, I can't describe EVERYTHING about it to you, but you will soon learn in good time, before December 25."

"What happens THAT day?"

"That's Christmas Day itself. That's when the REAL fun happens. Anyway, I gotta get going to Rotor's workshop."

"But whom should I talk with for more?"

"Talk to ANYBODY! They'd LOVE to explain!"

Tails was left standing in mystery, still puzzled about why people celebrate such a wonderful holiday. The poor fox still knew nothing about this, and he needed more advice right away. So, for the first person to turn to for help, he went to Amy Rose the hedgehog, a very cheery female who would know ANYTHING about such happy events.

"Of COURSE I'll tell you more!" Amy said after Tails arrived at her house and asked her for advice. "I'd LOVE to! But, first things first, your house will need some decoration."

"Decoration?" Tails replied in question. "With what?"

"Don't you see it on every house you pass by? You'll need some colorful lights on the outside, as well as a Christmas wreath on your door. And once we're finished with THAT, there is still a lot more to do on the INSIDE, including the Christmas tree."

"I've heard of THAT, but I don't really know the meaning of it, especially those wrapped boxes under it."

"Ugh! While we were staying at Christopher's place a long time ago, you paid very little attention! It's time your Christmas spirit improves! Come on, let's go to your house and get you set up."

At that same time, at the grim lair of the evil Dr. Eggman, this stubborn scientist found the news that Christmas was being celebrated on Mobius again. It put him into a deep depression that no one could ever break, not even his two clumsy robots Orbot and Cubot.

"Christmas is back…" Eggman groaned as he slouched on his couched. "Bah! I can't think of anything more disgusting… Maybe Sonic and Sally getting married would be worse…?"

"But Dr. Eggman…" Orbot replied to him as he hovered over the couch. "EVERBODY celebrates Christmas! Why do you not care to just spend a little time in the joy?"

"Yeah!" Cubot added. "You must hold that joy in your heart!"

"On the contrary…" Eggman said, "…I have no heart! My nephew told me so! I bet he's enjoying this holiday as well; it's been a long time since he defected over to the G.U.N. forces."

"Please don't be sad, doctor," Orbot replied. "Let us cheer you up with a Christmas classic song." With that, he opened the top of his metallic head shell and placed a music CD on his built-in CD player. He closed the shell of his cranium and let the music play, with the sound coming from his voice chip. It bugged and annoyed Eggman heavily, as the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (sung by Bing Crosby) blurted into his ears.

"You idiot!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed. "I told you to only play death metal on that thing!"

The song continued to play before it was suddenly interrupted by the CD player being crushed by two powerful hands. Wario and his brother Waluigi had come to interrupt Orbot and Cubot's fun, breaking them down into scrap metal with the powerful hammers they had previously stolen from Koopa Hammer Brothers.

"It's a good thing Bowser hired those Hammer Bros," Waluigi spoke up after completely breaking down Cubot. "Otherwise we would not have these awesome weapons!"

"What are you two doing here?" Eggman demanded from them both. "I thought you were still part of that no-good Lightning Bolt Society!"

"Listen, buddy!" Wario answered in reply. "We know how much you hate Christmas, so we decided to pitch in and help. You how dieves like to break in many places and steal valuable dings to ruin people's Christmas? Well, we're not gonna do dat! Instead, we'll ruin someone's first Christmas and make him not so lucky."

"And how are you going to do that if EVERYONE celebrates Christmas?"

"You fool!" Waluigi replied to Eggman. "Some people on Mobius are merely BEGINNERS at this holiday. Thanks to a young scientist, the inhabitants of this realm know it now."

"Christopher… Very well, gentlemen, I'll buy your plan. But, if we are to do this successfully, it should be led by ME. You two will be a very big help, and you must tell me the things I don't know."

"It's easy!" Wario said. "Just do one little ding in order to get da main idea into action: follow dat fox…"

Back at Bygone Island, Tails had finished decorating his house and setting up his Christmas tree, thanks to the advice and help of Amy. But there were still some voids he needed to fill, including buying gifts for his friends. Amy did tell him about Santa Claus and how he brings presents to those who are good. But Tails still needed to get gifts for those who were close to him, including his girlfriend Zooey the fox.

"If there was anything that Zooey might like…" Tails thought to himself as he walked through the village's shops, "…it would be that ring I saw the other day. It has such a beautiful diamond on it, I'm sure she would love me for such a good deed. And besides, I'll be such a good boy, Santa would definitely put me on the nice list."

Tails thought he had all the money needed to pay for the gorgeous ring, but he was about twenty dollars short. He had to do something quick, or the clerk was going to be impatient, waiting for the rest of the cash to be paid off.

"Perhaps you should work here so you can pay with what you earn from us," the clerk suggested.

"Hold it!" someone spoke up, coming around the corner to the desk. "I'll pay for it! I've still got some cash paid to me while I was working overtime with Mario."

"Luigi?" Tails said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for a ring to give to my sweet Daisy," Luigi answered in reply. "It's a good thing I caught you here attempting a good deed, so I'll return the favor by paying for a good ring. Here you are, sir! Anyway, Tails, you better make such a good impression on Zooey, and make her very happy. Besides, this ring is not the only proof that you love her."

"I'll do more…"

"Get going, good sport! Get on out there and share some Christmas joy!"

Tails rushed out of the shop in excitement, careless and almost slipping on some ice that spread across the sidewalk. Regaining his balance, his sight suddenly caught Zooey, who was right across the street from him. Instantly, he put the ring in his coat pocket and hid it from sight.

"Hey, Tails!" Zooey spoke as she fully approached him. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too, Zooey," Tails replied. "Say, the gang and I are having a Christmas feast tomorrow night, and I was wondering if you would like to come."

"That sounds like a plan. You, of all people, are whom I would REALLY like to spend Christmas with. Just imagine all those things we should do this year…"

"Just as long as we make Santa happy as well. I'm trying hard not to do anything naughty."

"Like that song says, be good for goodness sake. Oh, I better get going now. I'll see you later…"

But right when Zooey was about to turn around and leave, her foot stepped upon the icy sidewalk. She slipped swiftly, but Tails luckily caught her before she could land upon the ground. "Thank you," Zooey said as Tails helped her back up to her feet.

Luigi walked outside the shop with the ring he bought for Daisy, catching Tails in the act of performing another good deed. He winked to the fox as he headed down the other side of town. "I should beg Mario to float me a bucket of salt to clean this path," he thought as he almost tripped.

A while later, Tails paid a visit to Sticks the jungle badger for more advice. She more or less gave him a helpful tip on receiving Santa Claus as the midnight guest of Christmas Day.

"The big man needs a path for where he needs to land his sleigh," Sticks explained as she laid out two strings of lights on the ground, next to her burrow. "His trusted reindeer Rudolph has a nose bright enough to light his path through the fog, he can guide the sleigh down to this landing spot. Just make sure there is no fire where he needs to climb down in your chimney."

"It's a wonder Santa has lived all these years," Tails replied. "No matter how many years have gone by, it seems like even the NAUGHTY people have never attempted to kill him."

"And make sure your lights do not attract government agents!"

"Quit worrying, Sticks! The king is a very nice man; he would never judge such beauty in the night."

Tails went home to lay out the same kind of lights next to his workshop. He knew that he should never leave his garage door open, even if it was an easier way for Santa to come in. Any thief would easily walk in and steal special parts for planes or jets that Tails was working on.

Courtney walked by and spotted what the little fox was doing in his yard. She was confused at first; this was definitely not an idea hatched by Tails himself. "What are you doing out here?" she asked after approaching him.

"Oh, hey Courtney!" Tails replied as he shook her hand. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Tails. So, why are you simply laying some lights on the ground?"

"Oh, I'm arranging a landing site for when Santa Claus comes around. This will be easier for him to land without having to check for a spot on my roof."

"I suppose you came up with this idea yourself?"

"No, Sticks told me all about it. I used to think she was crazy, but she gives good holiday advice. However, I did not take her advice on laying traps in my house in case of thieves. Eggman really hates Christmas! He would NEVER come near this town at this time of year!"

"And where did you hear THAT?"

"Sonic's known this holiday more than I have…"

Sighing, Courtney spoke before leaving: "I hope you know what you're doing. Be good, and don't go too foolish. See you later…"

Watching the Corlonian walk away, Tails stood where he was, pondering over what she just said. "Be good…" he thought. "What if I'm too late on that? Well…there's ALWAYS enough room on the nice list. I have to think ahead of time about the warnings."

The next morning, Tails woke up to the Christmas music that played on his radio. Though he was very excited, he tried to calm himself down and keep a gentlemanly manner. "I must keep it cool at tonight's feast," he thought as he put his shoes on. "I must make a good impression on Zooey with good manners and proper speech. I'll be happy to give her that ring on Christmas Day, she will love me for SURE!"

Tails went out of his house to take a look at the outside. All the lights were still in perfect place, so his house was easily lit up at night. Right then, Sonic came along and patted the little fox on the back.

"How are you doing, Tails?" he spoke to him.

"Very fair, my good man," Tails answered fancily in reply.

"Okay, where did you get that kind of talk?"

"If I am to be a good fellow this year, I must be as good as can be…"

"Let's not overdo it, Tails. If you want to be good, just be yourself. You have ALWAYS been a good boy to me, so you won't have to worry about anything. Got that? Just be yourself."

"Whatever you say, Sonic… Whatever you say…"

That night, at his house, Tails suddenly caught the scent of garlic, onion, basil, and cooking wine rising up in his nostrils. When he walked towards Amy's house to see what was going on, he found that Mario was cooking his special tomato sauce. Everyone could smell it from where they stood, as eagerness entered their minds.

"Luigi!" Mario called across the room. "What other seeds do we put in this again?"

Luigi responded and walked into the kitchen, winking to Tails again along the way. "You also put in corn seeds, for other tastes…"

Tails went back to his home to change into some fancy clothes: a black suit with a red bow tie, and grey pants with black stripes. "This will surely improve things!" he thought as he softly walked into Amy's dining room. He went over to the main table and took a good look at where was going to sit; carefully, he organized his utensils, his fork, spoon, and knife, and also placed his wine glass on a wooden coaster.

Tails saw Sonic sit down at his place with Sally, both nicely dressed for the occasion. Though Tails looked at the clock and waited patiently for Zooey to arrive, he was still unsure if he would keep himself under control. He needed some more dating advice, since he was still young.

"Say, what's the perfect attitude for when you're eating at the same table?" Tails asked the cute couple.

"Never burp or spit…" Sally replied, "…and hold your loved one's hand when you feel like it."

It was right there when Zooey came in and greeted everyone warmly with a friendly handshake.

"It looks like your dream girl has arrived," Sonic whispered to Tails as he held Sally's gentle hand.

"Hi Tails!" Zooey said happily as he hugged that kind fox. "You look handsome today!"

"As you look so beautiful…" Tails replied dreamily. "Please sit down…"

Zooey gently held her boyfriend's hand as she sat down right next to him. Right around the corner came King Maximilian Acorn, holding a bottle of red Merlot in both hands for extra care. "Will this suit you both?" he spoke as he bent down.

"We'll each take only one serving," Tails replied, reminding himself to be good. If he was to drink another glass, he would surely be drunk.

Courtney sat at another corner of the table, observing how well Tails was doing in his generous acts. "I hope you do well…" she said to him through a telepathic message. "Please don't overdo it."

"I won't…" Tails replied through his mind. "I won't…"

"So, Tails…" Zooey opened a new conversation. "I've been wondering what you want for Christmas this year. I know this is your first time, so I'm sure you won't have trouble with some ideas."

"Let me think…" Tails said, his mind racing through to think of an item that he wanted. "It's very hard to decide, Zooey. It really is… Especially when we've grown up, and then we get too old for what kids are begging for."

"That does make sense. But let's remember, Christmas is not about presents."

"I know… Mario once told me that he introduced Christmas to Dinosaur World in the middle of August. He said it's that time of year when everyone is nice to each other; he even pretended to be Santa Claus! But what I'm wondering is…why should we be nice only on Christmas? Why can't we be nice EVERY day?"

"That's a good question! Christmas usually puts more joy into your heart and makes you more excited. Though it's cold outside, we have such warm feelings, especially of love…"

"Zooey… Are you telling me…? Never mind…"

"What's wrong, Tails? Why do you look so shaken?"

"I just have a strange feeling…" Tails whimpered as he grabbed his stiffened neck. "Is love really an important part of this holiday?"

"Of course!" Zooey replied. "The best part happens when we're right underneath the mistletoe. The kiss begins…!"

"Please, Zooey!" Tails whispered. "Not here and now! Not right in front of everyone!"

"Fine, we'll do it later."

"No, not until we're in private…!"

"TAILS!" exclaimed Sonic. "Don't embarrass us. Eat your food; it's been in front of you for a while."

"Oh, right…" Tails said, grabbing hold of his fork. "Perhaps some food will calm my nerves. Maybe I'm just hungry."

Right before him was a large plate of roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and corn pudding. Perhaps enjoying this delectable meal would calm him down and bring him back to his senses. He did savor the food as best as he could, but there was still something that bothered him very much.

"After what we just said…" Tails thought silently, "…I don't think Courtney would ever live it down. Even Cosmo won't forgive me for that! When it comes to love, it's just plain difficult for me. I gotta think fast…"

From where she sat, she caught Tails' sad and worried eyes. She caught Tails' lips moving in a certain way, whispering something to himself. She caught what he said: "Please, Zooey…! Don't make me do this…!"

"Excuse me…" Zooey said as she stood up to her feet. "I have to go now. Thanks for having me over."

"No, wait! Zooey!" Tails exclaimed. But it was too late; Zooey, bearing a grim frown on her gentle face, left the house merely minutes after her arrival. Tails felt that he was beginning to shed tears because of this failure to make a good impression. More than that, he had not behaved like he promised, worrying too much about how the others had felt. Now he knew how he truly felt, to lose control and crush his own Christmas spirit.

There was nothing for him to do but to slowly walk back to his room in shame. Courtney watched him leave, his two tails dragging across the soft carpet, as he dragged his feet to where he was to think about all his regrets.

"I'm starting to think…" Courtney thought, "…this is all my fault…! My love seems to NEVER leave his mind."

At his house, Tails stomped towards his bed in frustration combined with his deep depression. He took only one last look at the ring he bought; the beauty of its diamond was beyond imagination, any female would adore it.

"What a lot of trouble you put me through!" Tails growled, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I HATE YOU!"

With that, he furiously threw that ring across the room. It hit the wall at the far end with a loud thud, right before a projected hologram of Dr. Eggman appeared right at that spot. "Tails, I bring you your last hope," he spoke.

"Eggman!" Tails replied. "What do you want from me?!"

"By means of my projecto-ray, I can transport you from this cave—taking you where you'll be safe."

"Safe from this holiday? This scam? But then you'll have me again!"

 **(Note: Remember when Dr. Eggman and Mr. Grimm took Tails as a captive to create an evil clone out of him?)**

"Something has changed you!" Eggman continued. "You speak as if you really hate Christmas! We both know this holiday only brings hatred among families. We are destined to become allies! Together, we can bring this ritual to an end! Acknowledge me as your leader—swear to serve me—or else I leave you here to face a frickin' joke! The choice is yours."

"I don't want any part of this crummy holiday!" Tails replied. "I'm convinced!"

Suddenly, they both heard a strange knocking at Tails' door. "Tails!" Sonic called. "Open up!"

"I'm waiting for your answer…" Eggman muttered.

"What have I got to lose?" Tails thought silently. "Eggman is helping me escape what people claim is the happiest time of year. This is the first time I actually knew about it… And I can promise everyone NOTHING!" Tails sighed and turned to face who was once his worst enemy, answering: "Okay. I'll do it. Get me out of here."

"At last!" Eggman exclaimed. With a press of a button, the figure that had been Tails, just a micro-second before, was transformed into flowing electro-waves. The scientific principle involved in what no one saw was too complicated to explain to ANYONE. The electro-waves travelled from Tails' room, across time and space, to the boat docks of Long Island, New York, at nearly the speed of light.

And at that dock, Dr. Eggman watched as Tails materialized in front of him. "There is no cause for alarm, Tails," he said. "This method, which I call 'matter-portation', is as harmless as it is spectacular."

"Skip that," Tails replied. "First tell me where I am…and why I'm here?"

"Climb aboard, and we shall perform some travelling."

Tails climbed onto a large boat that took off within merely seconds after Eggman spoke. Wario and Waluigi were with them, controlling and steering the boat to its destination. Wherever they were going, it looked like it was going to take a long while. But thanks to Dr. Eggman's superb technology, they sped past all of Canada and Greenland, heading up north to the top of the Earth. There was a large wave of colorful lights shining upon the icy waters that they sailed across, which gave Tails the hint that they were approaching the North Pole.

"Here we are, my friends!" Eggman announced, looking through a spy glass. "We are here at the master's workshop! It will be only a matter of seconds before we burn that place and put that fat guy out of business for good!"

"I have kept my word…" Tails said. "You're about to put a stop to Christmas."

"Yes, you fool," Eggman replied. "You kept your word. And I have realized my mission! I am about to stop Christmas from happening ever again! As for you, I shall keep you with me, as a permanent reminder of my triumph—and my power!"

But the villain spoke too soon, as a patrol boat soon approached them and caught them in their act. "Surrender that fox!" exclaimed a familiar-sounding voice. "There's nowhere you can hide now!"

Eggman and Tails turned to see Sonic and Courtney aboard that boat, with Mario steering it and keeping it steady. "So your so-called friends are here to snatch you from me!" the madman growled as the deadly eyes beneath his specs burned with rage. "This is it, Tails! This is where you prove to everyone that you don't need them anymore! They are only liars, wanting to keep you alive for their own purposes, including the deaths of whom you care about the most!"

"You've done enough lying, egghead!" Sonic exclaimed to the mad genius. "I'll have you know that Tails is not dead, thanks to me and Sally! We kept him after you smuggled his parents!"

"I've had enough of you, hedgehog!" Eggman replied. "After all those years when we've fought each other, I still have no clue as to why you even chose me as your worst enemy in the first place!"

"To this day, I still hunger to avenge the death of Tails' dear parents! And no one shall stop me!"

Enraged, Dr. Eggman felt a burning urge to put an end to Sonic's mission and push Tails over the edge of his boat. The poor fox fell down into the deep, freezing waters below. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not get back up to the surface. The water rendered him numb, he could not feel his two tails at all; he could not find that chance to use his tails as a propeller to bring him back up.

"You'll pay for that!" Sonic roared as he jumped over to the enemy's boat.

Courtney thought about heading over there to assist the hedgehog in his act of avenging, but Mario stopped her before she could take another step.

"Sonic's already making as good a diversion for you," he pointed out. "Just get Tails out of there!"

"He's right!" Courtney thought as she looked down into the water below. "Every second, Tails is sinking closer to the core! This will have to involve my swimming skills, AND my powers! It's a good thing Agape taught me how to force my way through freezing waters, so I'll get Tails out quick enough."

"STOP HER!" Courtney heard Wario roar. She quickly dove into the waters right after she saw Wario holding a rusted pistol. She made it in before he could even lay a bullet on her.

"You fool!" Waluigi yelled, snatching the gun away. "Your fists are too slow!"

Courtney immediately felt chilled to the bone as she brought herself down those freezing waters. She knew that Tails had sunk deeper than she had, and his condition was getting worse as he fell closer to the earth's core. She had to stay where she was; she had to concentrate very hard on the target of her telekinetic powers. Using her mind powers, she levitated Tails up closer to her; but such cold waters chilled her head, she was about to lose concentration and drop the fox.

"I can't black out now!" Courtney thought as she struggled to bring Tails closer to the surface. "I must keep going… I must save him…just as he saved my life long ago! Everything's getting dark…!"

Back aboard the boat of the three trouble-doers, the fight continued as Sonic tried to keep those villains where he wanted them. "If you have killed my poor friend…" the furious hedgehog exclaimed, "…so help me, you shall feel my wrath!"

"Tell me, Sonic…" Eggman replied. "Have you been a monster your whole life? Or did it just come naturally to you just now?"

Again that monster spoke too soon; everyone was startled to see Courtney, holding Tails was staying afloat on the frigid water. She gave herself and Tails enough buoyancy to float on the water with her gravitational power, but she was only able to hold out for a few seconds before she blacked out completely.

"No…!" she thought as her eyes closed. "Not now…!"

"I got you!" Mario exclaimed as he quickly reached down to grab Courtney's arm. He was able to bring Courtney back on board before she lost her grip on Tails. They both made it safely on the boat, which meant it was time to go back home now that their rescue mission was complete.

"Let's go, Sonic!" Mario called out. "It's getting late! We have to make it back home before he begins his journey!"

"What is he talking about?" Dr. Eggman thought as he watched Sonic jumped onto the other boat and sail away. But the answer was delivered to him immediately when he heard a familiar-sounding laugh boom above him. He looked up and, as a silhouette against the bright-shining full moon, a sleigh pulled by nine reindeer soared across the sky.

"Now dat Santa's gone…" Wario said, "…we can easily take dat North Pole ourselves! We don't need Tails for dis!"

"No need, gentlemen…" Eggman interrupted in reply. "We've done our job here. This has taught us a valuable lesson, that NO ONE can ruin a holiday that goes on for eternity. Let's get out of here…"

Courtney recovered when the gang returned to Mobius, but Tails was still out unconscious. He was still alive, with his heart beating perfectly fine, and his breathing at a normal pace.

"Will he recover soon?" Courtney whimpered as she sat at Tails' bedside, stroking his forehead.

"I'm sure he'll be up in the morning," Mario replied as he plugged a device into the wall. "This space heater ought to make him warm and cozy. Now let's get some shuteye; the big man will be here very soon."

Tails remained asleep until the next morning, just as Mario predicted. The fox awakened at the sight of sunlight beaming through his window. He did not know what was happening at first, as he looked around the room where he sat. He suddenly caught sight of Sonic sitting on the couch at the far end of the room.

"Sonic!" Tails blurted out as he sat upright. "How did I get back here?! Eggman will destroy the North Pole if we don't hurry!"

"Calm down, Tails!" Sonic replied, settling his little friend down. "It's all over! We won that battle at the North Pole. You're safe now, buddy… It's alright…"

"You mean…no worries…?"

"It's okay, pal… Just look at the presents under your tree, waiting for you."

Sonic pointed out to Tails' new Christmas tree, as the fox noticed many wrapped boxes underneath it.

"What?!" Tails gasped. "You mean…?"

"That's right, buddy!" Sonic replied. "Merry Christmas! We had to bring you back here in a hurry before Santa could reach your house. It's a good thing you were still out cold at that time, because he sees you when you're sleeping."

"Today is Christmas? But that means…I'll need to give Zooey her gift…! No, wait! Never mind that! I've already been through enough conflict between me, her, Cosmo, and Courtney! There's no way I can promise anything to ANY one of them anymore!"

"Don't talk like that, Tails! This isn't like you! Courtney spoke with me last night, and she said you can give Zooey that ring no matter the consequences. She said not to worry about anything, now that Zooey is your true girlfriend."

"You're right… I must make it up to her…"

That same hour, Tails hurried to Zooey's house and nervously knocked on her door. He was surprised to see her answer the door in the first place; he thought she would never forgive him after what he did that Christmas Eve night at dinner.

"You?" Zooey spoke as she stood in that doorway. "What do you want? I never thought you would actually show your face here!"

"Zooey, please!" Tails replied. "Let me explain! I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I did last night. It just wasn't like me at all!"

"I agree, and you still are not that same fox I know!"

"No! That's not what I mean! You have to listen! This is my first time ever experiencing Christmas, and so I was trying TOO hard to be good. I pressured myself and kept pushing the limits, trying to put myself under control. But it didn't work; I just did not find the spirit on Christmas in me. I'm very sorry…"

"Tails, you are very honest, and that's what I like about you. You'll never resist speaking the truth, and that's what sets you free. I do forgive you, and I still love you…"

"Oh, and before I forget, I want to give you your present… Merry Christmas, Zooey…"

Zooey gently took the tiny box from Tails' right hand and opened it up to see that beautiful ring that the generous fox had bought for her. "Tails…!" she exclaimed, a tear forming in her left eye. "It's…it's beautiful…!" Her heart thumped hard that day, as the sun rose on Christmas Day that year.

"There are three things that will endure: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love."

-1 Corinthians 13:13

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS 2015! GOD BLESS YOU, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS, AND THE WORLD AS IT IS!**


End file.
